It was a good day for the Academy of Preachers. First, Katie McNeal wrote to say she would accept an invitation to join the Young Preachers Leadership Team. Katie attended last week’s preaching camp in Crestwood, Kentucky.
“Going into the week, I really didn’t know what to expect,” she wrote. “What I experienced surpassed any expectations I had.” What she experienced, of course, was the spiritual camaraderie of other young preachers who are looking past racial, theological, and denominational barriers to encourage each other as gospel preachers. Katie is a resident of Pittsburgh, a sophomore at Wittenburg College in Ohio, and active in a Lutheran (ELCA) congregation.
Second, the Academy received letters of endorsement from two new National Partners. Fabric of Life Coaching is the ministry of Danville, Kentucky pastor Tommy Valentine. “Having served as a coach at two of the Academy’s preaching camps,” he writes, “I have seen first hand the value of the Academy’s mission and wholeheartedly support its work.”
Baptist Women in Ministry of Atlanta, Georgia also writes a word of encouragement. Executive Director Pam Durso hopes “to attend [the National Festival of Young Preachers] in January and to have an exhibit and perhaps host a lunch for the Baptist women participants.” She then lists five other ways they plan to partner with the Academy of Preachers.
Finally, the mail today brought two checks totaling $300. They came from a pastor in Pennsylvania and an educator in Glasgow, Kentucky. This pushes us past the $10,000 mark in our spring campaign to raise $50,000. Every little bit helps and we are glad to receive these two men as new donors to the Academy of Preachers.
We thank all of our growing network of supporters for every word of encouragement, every act of partnership, and every dollar invested in our mission to “identify, network, support, and inspire” young people in their calling to gospel preaching. God bless you all.